John and Marlena (Finally) Get a Q!

Chapter 10: Lost and Found

John dialed the phone number of the Brady Pub. Hopefully Marlena had been by there and they knew where she was. Shawn answered the phone announcing the name of the Pub in his Irish brogue.

"Shawn, it's John."

"Well, good morning to you John." Shawn sounded cheery as usual, despite the tension of the last two days. "What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Doc?" He asked the question straight out.

"Well, not since we dropped them off at the penthouse last night. Why? Is she not there?" Shawn's voice took on a little concern.

"Sami's not sure where she is. I just need to reach her." John edited the information. There was no need to worry the Brady's until they knew something definite. Hopefully, there would be no need to worry them at all. "If you see her, can you get her to call either Sami or me?" John requested.

"Sure, we will. Have you had any news on Belle today?" Shawn changed the subject, seemingly satisfied with John's answer.

"I called them first thing. No change." John didn't feel much like discussing Belle's condition at the moment.

"Aye, that's what they told us." John could almost see Shawn nodding.

"Well, I'll catch you later Shawn." John didn't want to waste time on the phone when it wasn't being productive. Kristen was lurking in the background with a petulant expression on her face, but John wasn't the least bit concerned with her at that moment. He just needed to find Doc and make sure she was alright.

"Right you are." The other end of the line clicked, and John put the receiver in its cradle.

"What's going on John?" Kristen's voice held a whiny quality that was getting on John's nerves.

"Doc's disappeared and I'm trying to find her," he replied brusquely. Kristen couldn't believe that he hadn't even bothered to turn around when he told her that. She came up behind him and wove her arms around his waist. He shrugged her off with a "Not now Kristen," and rifled through the papers by the phone.

Kristen turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs before she said something about his *precious* Doc that she would regret. She threw herself on the bed fuming at the unfairness of it. All the work she had done. Marlena goes missing for five minutes and suddenly she is all he can think about. If Kristen had her way, Marlena would disappear alright. Permanently.

John dialed the number of the Burns Unit at the Hospital. A nurse answered the phone with the standard hospital welcome.

"This is John Black," he qualified. "I was wondering if Dr Evans had been in to see Belle this morning?" The nurse was silent for a moment, seemingly consulting her records judging by the sounds of paper being shuffled.

"Yes, she was here earlier." The nurse wasn't forthcoming with any further information.

"It's important that I find her." John tried not to sound impatient. "Did she give any indication as to where she might be going?"

"I'm afraid not." She needed some lessons in phone manners John decided.

"Do you know if she was with a man?" John was stabbing in the dark now. To get any information out of this woman he was going to have to frame his questions in the simplest yes/no terms.

"I'm not sure. I don't think so." She was finally trying to make an effort to be pleasant, obviously hearing the anger in John's voice, but it was too late.

"Well thank you for your help." He tried to restrain his sarcasm. He didn't catch the rest of her sentence as he put down the phone.

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